Back pain is a leading cause of disability worldwide, yet an AI app is now being used in the UK to help patients manage their symptoms. But how effective is it?
In October 2024, I strained my back—though the exact cause wasn’t clear at the time. Perhaps something went wrong when I picked up one of my young nephews. Or, more likely, I injured it while lifting the bed so my wife could slide a rug underneath.
Whatever the cause, overestimating my own strength resulted in a lower back injury. A few days later, the pain began radiating down my left leg along the sciatic nerve. Standing was manageable, but sitting was sheer torture. To sleep, I had to prop my leg up on a pillow to alleviate the radiating pain.
In mid-December, I consulted a pain specialist near my home in Washington, D.C. He performed range-of-motion tests, ordered X-rays, diagnosed me with lumbar radiculopathy, and wrote a referral for physical therapy. In the U.S., this process is relatively fast—it took only about three months from the onset of pain to starting treatment. Yet, for a condition as common and debilitating as back pain, that is still a long time.
Since early January, I have been seeing physical therapists, and the results have been impressive. I visit them weekly to discuss my pain, receive soft-tissue massage, and perform guided exercises and stretches. My pain hasn’t vanished completely, but it is finally under control.